Enhanced In Vitro Shoot Multiplication of Piper sarmentosum by Suppression of Apical Dominance

An efficient micropropagation protocol has been developed through nodal explant by suppressing apical dominance for the enhanced production of multiple shoots by the physical method for the first time in Piper sarmentosum. Shoot regeneration was induced from the nodal explant on MS medium supplemented with varying concentrations and combination of different cytokinins (BA, KIN, and 2-ip) and auxins (IAA, IBA, and NAA). Of the different cytokinins used, higher number of the shoots (6.23 ± 0.13) and the higher shoot length (6.27 ± 0.17 cm) were observed on MS medium with 4.44 µM BA. But a remarkable increase in multiple shoots produced when suppressing the apical dominance by the physical method in the optimal concentration of 4.44 µM BA was observed, and this is the first report in tissue culture study. Rhizogenesis was observed on MS medium supplemented with IBA 4.9 µM and plantlets so obtained were hardened and the plant was established successfully on the natural environment with the survival rate of 89.68%. The present protocol suggests that by suppressing the apical dominance through the physical method without any expensive chemicals in the tissue culture system, shoot regeneration percentage can be increased, so we can adopt this method in tissue culture system for the production of a huge number of plants having strong apical dominance.